All walks › Elan Valley and Rhayader
Elan Valley and RhayaderClaerwen Reservoir
The largest and emptiest of the Elan reservoirs, with a track along the northern shore leading into some of the least visited country in Wales.
- Distance
- 5.6 mi / 9 km
- Time
- 3 hr 10
- Ascent
- 180 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Shape
- There and back
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From the dam, a track follows the northern shore into the hills. Walk out for as long as it holds your interest and return; the ground beyond is trackless.
Worth knowing
- The track continues over the watershed to the Teifi Pools and Strata Florida, a serious full-day crossing.
- Claerwen dam was opened in 1952 and is the largest in the valley.
- No shelter, no signal, and nobody about.
What you’ll see
The dam and reservoir, open moorland, and the empty Cambrian plateau.
Background
Claerwen was built after the war to augment the Victorian reservoirs, and was opened by the young Queen Elizabeth in 1952.